In January, 17-year-old Kajol, a sole breadwinner for her family in Dhaka’s slum of Mohammadpur, contracted tuberculosis (TB), a life-threatening disease. Fortunately, she received critical assistance from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which funded local initiatives for TB treatment through the organization Nari Maitree. This program was essential for many in the community, offering free treatment and significantly contributing to the fight against TB in Bangladesh, a country where the disease is prevalent.
However, in February 2024, the Trump administration ordered significant cuts to USAID spending, effectively halting assistance that kept this life-saving program alive. This abrupt decision has put Kajol’s ongoing treatment in jeopardy, putting her life at risk once again. “Now I have to go get the medicine myself,” she expressed, highlighting her struggle and the potential for her treatment to remain incomplete, which may lead to increased drug resistance and severe health repercussions.
Reports indicate the importance of USAID’s role, where its support in 2023 led to the identification and successful treatment of over a quarter of a million TB cases in Bangladesh. The funding was not just vital for health programs but also played a massive role in reducing child and maternal mortality rates through various public health initiatives.
The recent cuts have reduced Bangladesh’s foreign assistance from an average of $83 million annually (2021-2023) for health initiatives to a mere $71 million in the current year. As Nari Maitree can no longer operate its Stop TB Program, staff like Dipa Halder, who had dedicated years to helping communities, are now left unemployed, further exemplifying the widespread impact of these cuts on individuals and the healthcare sector.
The repercussions of the USAID cuts extend beyond TB treatment. In social contexts, they threaten 113 vital programs that were supported directly by USAID in the country. Asif Saleh, a prominent figure from the non-profit sector, remarked on the abruptness of these cuts, noting they jeopardize thousands of jobs, especially in a context where the local economy is fragile amid political instability and rising inflation.
Global partners are also scaling back on foreign aid; countries like the UK and Switzerland have announced similar reductions in their contributions, raising concerns about a more pervasive crisis. With more than one million Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar relying heavily on international assistance, the cuts threaten their already precarious existence, potentially leading to further humanitarian issues, according to UNICEF representatives.
In discussions about the future, interim leader Muhammad Yunus acknowledged that the government must develop new strategies to manage these cuts and indicated that despite the reductions, the needs are pressing and significant. Responses to the changes in international aid remain crucial as Bangladesh, a nation trying to navigate further crises, finds itself at a crossroads of survival, economic stability, and health security.